Automotive vehicle seat assemblies typically have a seat, a seat back and an armrest attached to the seat back to provide a surface on which the vehicle occupant may rest their elbow or forearm. Known armrests, such as the armrest 10 shown as prior art in FIG. 1, are typically connected to a pin which is in turn pivotably attached to the seat back such that the armrest can rotate in an arc with respect to the seat back between a raised, stored position and a lowered, use position. As a result, armrests must possess sufficient rigidity and strength to withstand the loads applied during everyday use of the vehicle.
In recent years, many efforts have been made reduce potential injury to vehicle occupants during a side impact event. While these efforts have resulted in significant improvements in passenger safety, there exists a desire to further improve passenger safety during a side impact event. It is difficult, however, to design and manufacture an armrest that is structurally strong enough to withstand the type of loads to which it may be subjected during everyday use and that is also capable of deforming so as to reduce injury in a crash.